“Equilibrium” has plenty of ideas, and the costumes and sets look great.
Ultimately, despite how un-filled I felt after watching it, I think that "Equilibrium" is a valiant effort. Its premise is plausible, and even the "Gun Kata" fighting technique makes sense. However, I would´ve preferred that the script offered a couple of more ideas than its simple foundation. I certainly prefer this kind of movie to ones like "The Matrix"--ones made by people who think themselves into knots and who end up tripping over their own pretentiousness, self-importance, and self-perceived "coolness".
Video:
Given its recent vintage, the film´s 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen video transfer looks exceptionally good. Sharp detailing preserves the ability for viewers to see every little object, down to the black-on-black uniforms of the Clerics. I did see some source-print defects, though (small scratches and hairs), and film grain was not as controlled during some scenes when compared to the rest of the movie.
Audio:
Mostly, the Dolby Digital 5.1 English audio track is just plain loud. Deep bass thunders quite often, not only during action sequences but also during moments of relative calm in order to provide a sense of atmosphere. The front soundstage is very wild, of course, though the rears don´t seem to have as much to do as you would think. The mix has been professionally but not expertly created--given how precise "Gun Kata" is, precise sound effects positioning and imaging is surprisingly not-so-good.
English subtitles (provided as captions) as well as English closed captions support the audio.
Extras:
Director/writer Kurt Wimmer provides two audio commentaries for the "Equilibrium" DVD. He talks about the movie by himself on the first commentary, and producer Lucas Foster joins Wimmer for the second. Although the commentaries provide information about the production, I wish that the filmmakers had discussed the ideas behind the creation of the movie´s dystopian society. The "Gun Kata" fighting technique is self-explanatory enough--what I want to know is why Wimmer doesn´t seem to see the contradiction embodied by Libria´s police state--that is, if there is no war because no one is supposed to feel extreme emotions, then why do security forces engage in extreme violence? Aren´t the Clerics fighting a war every day???
"Finding ´Equilibrium´" is a four-minute promo for the movie. It wants to be considered as a making-of featurette, but except for some behind-the-scenes footage, there´s nothing in "Finding ´Equilibrium´" that seriously tells viewers how the movie was made.
It´s probably just as well that "Finding ´Equilibrium´" plays like a four-minute trailer for the movie. You see, Mala Vista continues to place bucketloads of trailers, previews, promos, etc. on its DVDs, but for some unfathomable reason, it refuses to include trailers for features on their self-same DVDs. Why oh why oh why?
Film Value:
"Equilibrium" has plenty of ideas, and the costumes and sets look great. (Those poorly disguised Cadillacs stick out like sore thumbs, though.) The fight scenes are thrilling in a nihilistic fashion. However, the movie has a soft middle act, and the script isn´t very layered or emotionally resonant. If the film had been directed by a skilled director rather than a first-timer, it might´ve been something to behold. Still, this is a commendable effort from Kurt Wimmer.
Video:
Given its recent vintage, the film´s 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen video transfer looks exceptionally good. Sharp detailing preserves the ability for viewers to see every little object, down to the black-on-black uniforms of the Clerics. I did see some source-print defects, though (small scratches and hairs), and film grain was not as controlled during some scenes when compared to the rest of the movie.
Audio:
Mostly, the Dolby Digital 5.1 English audio track is just plain loud. Deep bass thunders quite often, not only during action sequences but also during moments of relative calm in order to provide a sense of atmosphere. The front soundstage is very wild, of course, though the rears don´t seem to have as much to do as you would think. The mix has been professionally but not expertly created--given how precise "Gun Kata" is, precise sound effects positioning and imaging is surprisingly not-so-good.
English subtitles (provided as captions) as well as English closed captions support the audio.
Extras:
Director/writer Kurt Wimmer provides two audio commentaries for the "Equilibrium" DVD. He talks about the movie by himself on the first commentary, and producer Lucas Foster joins Wimmer for the second. Although the commentaries provide information about the production, I wish that the filmmakers had discussed the ideas behind the creation of the movie´s dystopian society. The "Gun Kata" fighting technique is self-explanatory enough--what I want to know is why Wimmer doesn´t seem to see the contradiction embodied by Libria´s police state--that is, if there is no war because no one is supposed to feel extreme emotions, then why do security forces engage in extreme violence? Aren´t the Clerics fighting a war every day???
"Finding ´Equilibrium´" is a four-minute promo for the movie. It wants to be considered as a making-of featurette, but except for some behind-the-scenes footage, there´s nothing in "Finding ´Equilibrium´" that seriously tells viewers how the movie was made.
It´s probably just as well that "Finding ´Equilibrium´" plays like a four-minute trailer for the movie. You see, Mala Vista continues to place bucketloads of trailers, previews, promos, etc. on its DVDs, but for some unfathomable reason, it refuses to include trailers for features on their self-same DVDs. Why oh why oh why?
Film Value:
"Equilibrium" has plenty of ideas, and the costumes and sets look great. (Those poorly disguised Cadillacs stick out like sore thumbs, though.) The fight scenes are thrilling in a nihilistic fashion. However, the movie has a soft middle act, and the script isn´t very layered or emotionally resonant. If the film had been directed by a skilled director rather than a first-timer, it might´ve been something to behold. Still, this is a commendable effort from Kurt Wimmer.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]10832[/release]